Gaza rights center warns of US plans to build residential blocs in Israeli-occupied areas

The Gaza Center for Human Rights (GCHR) has voiced concern over reports of a US-supported initiative to build residential complexes for Palestinians in areas of the Gaza Strip currently occupied by Israeli military forces.

The center said in a statement on Friday that the reported plan demonstrates a combined US-Israeli strategy that ties reconstruction efforts and fundamental human rights to political and security conditions.

According to the GCHR, such an approach breaches international humanitarian law, which requires an occupying power to ensure civilian rights without resorting to coercion or political influence.

The center stated that the proposal describes a framework designed to place Gaza's population under a joint military administration, with the objective of altering the demographic distribution within the Strip.

The scheme, the GCHR noted, poses a threat to Palestinians' rights to adequate housing, freedom of movement, personal security, and land ownership.

The center warned that while the project may initially seem focused on engineering tasks such as clearing rubble and planning construction, its scope goes much further. It transforms into a form of social engineering aimed at creating new realities on the ground, excluding Palestinian involvement and neglecting protections for the impacted communities.

The statement warned that such an approach views civilians as mere “subjects of political experimentation” and disregards the international duty to prioritize reconstruction efforts based on the needs and rights of residents rather than external interests.

The GCHR stated that the participation of military and engineering teams highlights the lack of concern for civilian safety and the neglect of efforts to restore fundamental rights that were compromised during Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.

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It also highlighted wider international trends negatively affecting Palestinian rights, such as the November 17 UN Security Council vote on Resolution 2803. The center argued that the resolution reinforces Israeli control over Palestinian territories and weakens the Palestinian right to self-determination.

The center indicated that the proposed administrative framework, known as a Peace Council and international force, might potentially leverage humanitarian aid as a means of exerting pressure and maintaining control.

It warned of the involvement of entities accused of contributing to or facilitating acts of genocide, such as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and armed groups established by the Israeli military.

The center called on international actors to adhere to international humanitarian law, which forbids the enforcement of coercive measures on civilian populations, their displacement, or limitations on their right to decide their own living conditions.

It emphasized the necessity for all reconstruction efforts, urban planning, and engineering projects to prioritize the needs and fundamental rights of Gaza's residents. These initiatives should ensure active involvement from local civil society and remain free from political or security conditions.

The statement further cautioned against permitting foreign contractors or international organizations to take control of reconstruction efforts, emphasizing that this approach entirely sidelines Palestinians and denies them the opportunity to actively participate in rebuilding their own communities.

The GCHR emphasized that introducing any type of foreign governance or ambiguous international mandate over Gaza would only intensify division, isolate the region, and further undermine Palestinian national unity.

It called on the international community to prevent the exploitation of humanitarian suffering as leverage to alter political realities at the cost of Palestinian rights.

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